Grain door for cars



Feb. 5 1924.,

H. S. NESBITT GRAIN DOOR FOR CARS 2f sheets-sheet 1 Filed July 10, 1922 mM N QN m: Q A NH Q wmf n i VH1 \m. w a ,gh o oo Q. .o V oc u m S w, #n KW w .Wm b m /N//E/v TOF? #ERBE/YT 5. N555/ 7T Feb. 5 1924.

H. S. NESBITT GRAIN DOOR lFOR CARS Filed July l0 1922 2 Sheets-.Sheet 2 /N//s/vraf? HERBERT s, /vEsB/T' car. f

Patented Feb. 5, 1924.

" vUNITED STATES PATENT orrlca.

HERBERT S. NESBITT, 0F MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, ASSIGNOB OF ONE-THIRD TO OSCAR I. GUSTAVSEN, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, AND ONE-THIRD TO THOMAS D. MOMAHON, OF ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA.

GRAIN DOOR FOR CARS.

Application led July 10,

To all lwhom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, HERBERT S. Nnsrr'r, a citizen of the United States, residing at Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Grain Doors for Gars; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to a car door struc-l ture and particularly to a door structure for a car4 adapted to containgrain or a similar bulk commodity. Grain is usually transported in a box car type of car and when the car is lfilled with grain there is great pressure against the doors thereof and the same are usually opened only with great difficulty.

It is an obj ect of'this invention, therefore, to provide a car door structure of simple construction which can be easily and quickly opened to discharge the grain. Itis a further object of the invention to provide such a car door structure comprising a door having a plurality of sections which, when not in use, can be easily and 'quickly disposed adjacent the roof ofthe It is more specifically an object of the invention to provide a car door having a lower section provided with beveled` plates at its sides adapted to be received in beveled notches in the doorqposts. u

,These and lother objects and advantages of the invention will more fully appear from the following description made in connection with the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer ,to the sameparts throughout the different views,

' and in which,

Fig. 1 is a view in front elevation of the door in closed position;

Fig. 2 is a vertical central section of VFig. 1;

' Fig. 3 is a vertical section through the door showing the door sections in a different position; Fig. 4 is a view in front elevation of one section ofthe door detached; Fig. 5 is a'partial plan view of one ysection of the ydoor shown on an enlarged scale; and f Figs, 6 and. Tare, respectively, horizontal 1922. Serial N0. 573,865.

sections taken on the line 6-6 and 7-7 of Fig. 3, also shown on an enlarged scale.

Referring to the drawings, certain parts of a box car are shown, of which it will only be necessary to note the door posts or jambs 1, the top cross member 2, the floor 3 and the roof portion. The grain door proper comprises a lower section A and` an upper section B. The lower section A is shown as composed of a frame 5 of heavy material covered by panels 6 of thinner material, said panel portion being on the inside of the door. The side portions ofthe frame 5 have secured therein and projecting outwardly therefrom, a series of equally vspaced-headed bolts 7 and plates 8 are eX- tended vertically along each side of said section and are provided with slots 9 through which the body portions of bolts 7 pass, the plates thus beingslidable laterally between the heads of said bolts andthe frame 5. The inner side edges of the plates 8 are beveled inwardly, as clearly shown in Figs. 4 and 5. The said plates 8 are connected by sliding members 10 and 11 moving in strap guides secured to frame 5 to the outer ends of links 12. As clearly shown in Fig. 5, plates 8 are formed on their inner surface with shoulders 8 against which theat ends of members 10 abut. The other ends of these links are provided with short slots through which project headed bolts secured in an oval disk or plate 13 pivotally and in Fig. 1. A handle lever 14 is connected to the plate 13 and provided with a latching pawl 15 adapted to hook over and be held byr a bolt or similar catch member 16 projecting from the lower portion of the frame 5. The section A also has secured therein, at its upper corners, plates 17 from which headed bolts 18 project adjacent the upper corners thereof.

The door posts 1 are provided throughout the lOWer portion of their opposed sides with n laterallyfrom said slots.

slots 19, the forward walls of which are inclined forwardly or toward the outer side of the car. The posts 1 are preferably covered with metal plates 20 extending along their opposed and inner sides and said-plates are formed with cut and bent-in portions 21 forming openings at the front of slots 19, and bent to extend inwardly along the inclined wall of said slots. The'posts '1 are also provided along the upper portion of their opposed sides with vertical 'grooves 22 preferably of rectangular cross section and the plates 2O areextended upwardly along the posts and provided with slots 23 of less width than the grooves 22 to form T-shaped openings. The plates 2O and grooves 22 lincline'inwardly at their upper ends and the same are provided with spaced outwardly projecting recesses 24'eXtending 'The upper section B of the door is shown as formed 'offa frame 25 vcovered Kby panels l26 at the inner sidethe'reof and'said door is also provided at its upper corners lwith `plates 27 formed with. projecting headed members 28. The panel portion 26 ofthe section B extends below the frame 25 and is adapted to abutagainst 'the upper projectsaid members as trunnions, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 3. The upperv section vB'when raised slightly to clear the lower section 'can also berswungY outwardly about the projecting members 28. W'hen the car is 'empty and the door sectionsA and B not in use, said sections may be moved upwardly' by sliding the headed membersf18 and 28 vertically in ther grooves 22 and disposing said members in recesses 24. The doors canthen be 'swung about said members into a 'substantially horizontal position adjacentthe -roof 4 of the car, in which position they are secured by latch members 29 and 80' pivotally mounted on said "roof land which engageunder the outer ,edges of said sections, as shown in 3.

VVhen itis desired to load the car with grain or similar material the lower section A will be swung to closed position 'and 'the handle lever' 14 turned "to move' thel members 10 and 11 and the plates 8 into the grooves 19.

the lower sectioaA will"tlius be movably held in closed position. When the' car is filled substantially to the top' of said section thel upper zsection B' can be released vand moved "downwardly 'into closed position, as

The lever 14 can'then be latched or `lockedi'n position by members 15 a'nd'16` and shown in Fig. 2 and the car then further filled. When it is des'iredto unload the car the latch 15 will bedisengaged and the lever 14 knocked slightly to the left from its closed position, as shown in Fig. 1. The pressure of the grain against the section A will press 'the beveled edges of plates 8 against plates 21 and this pressure will act to cani in the plates 8 so that when the lever 14 is moved but a slight distance the same will be quickly swung around by said pres` sure of the grain and the section A thus automatically released. The pressure `of the `rain will swing the lower portion of the door outwardl f and the grain will thus be discharged. lifter a suihcient "amount of grain has been discharged so that the level thereof is belowthe section B, this section can be swung upwardly to the position shown in Fig. 3 'and'afterthe grain has beenfstill further discharged the ysection A can also be lifted and swung 'to its inoperativeposition. If the car be loaded 'with some material'that doesnot have the'fiuid action o f grain it will ybe necessary! to `manually swing the lever 14 tothe positionfshown in Fig. 4 to `release the lowersection A.

From the above description it is seen that applicant has provideda simple and efficient grain' door. The door canbe easily and ineXpensively installed on new cars, or the ksame can be quickly installed on old cars of standard type. It ywill vsimplybe necessary t'o cut 'the slots or grooves 19 and 22 in the postsl and to add the protecting plates 20. The parts of the door are quite simple and can be easily manipulated, both t'o close 'the same and to' open the car.

lt will, of course, be understood, that various changes may bemade in the form, details and arrangementof the parts without departing from the scope of applicants inventiomwhich, generally stated, consistsin the matter shown 'and described and setforth in the appended claims.

What is claimed isz 1. A car door structure comprising'door posts having'vertical grooves in the lower portions of their adjacent sides, said grooves having 'their forward wallsy ouwardly `in clined, metal plates covering said sides of the posts and lextending along said -inclined walls, a door section disposed betweensaid postshavin laterally movable 'metal'plates extending a ong its vertical side edges, the outer edges'of'said plates being beveled at their front portions to be disposedin said grooves and vco-operating with the'plates therein.

v2. The combination with the door posts of a box' car, of a'door closure disposed therebetween comprising a lower door section, laterallyv movable. plates extending longitudinally atleach side thereof, the sideedges of saidvplates" being beveled at their front portions and said door posts being provided with longitudinally extending vertical grooves having inclined front portions with which said plates are adapted to eo-operate, whereby a oam action occurs between said beveled edges of said plates and the sides of said grooves, and means for holding said plates in position in said grooves comprising a series of members abutting end to end and abutting said plates.

3. The combination with the door posts of a box oar7 of a door closure disposed therebetween comprising a lower door section, laterally movable plates extending longitudinally at each side thereof, the side edges of said plates being beveled at their front por tions and said door posts being provided with longitudinally extended vertical grooves having inclined front portions with which said plates are adapted to eo-operate,

whereby a cam action occurs between said,

beveled edges of said plates and the sides of said grooves, an oblong rotatable member mounted on said section, a handle for turning said member, slidable members at each side of said rotatable member respectively Connected to and abutting said plates and in the same plane as said rotatable member, a link pivoted to said rotatable member at each side of said handle by a lost-motion eonneetion and pivoted at its other end to the respective slidable member, said rotatable member being arranged to abut said slidable members when turned with its long axis in line therewith whereby said plates will be held separated with said plates, slidable members and rotatable member in abutting relation. e

In testimony whereof l aiiX my signature.

HERBERT S. NES'BITT. 

